Prolonged tack materials prepared from thermoplastic resins and a plasticizer are well known in the art. Upon heating the thermoplastic resin and plasticizer mixture, the mixture becomes tacky or sticky and remains tacky for a considerable time even after cooling. This property is known as delayed tack or setting and has been found useful in the preparation of adhesive compositions, as well as in thermography, to produce a master which is imagewise exposed by means of heat, toned, and the toned image is then transferred onto an image receptor to provide a copy of the original image. In the above-described process, the prolonged tack property is present in the form of a continuous film over an imagewise tacky element.
The prolonged tack toners and transfer process described above can be used to make four color proofs. For example, in preparing a four color proof consisting of cyan, magenta, yellow, and black, the cyan toner image is transferred to a receptor. The magenta toner image is then transferred to the same receptor, with the two images in register. The yellow image is then transferred and finally, the black image is transferred so that all four images are in register. However, if the transferred toner image on the receptor remains tacky when the next color is transferred, the image on the receptor can back transfer to the surface of the photopolymer surface of the next color, resulting in partial image loss from the receptor to the photopolymer. Back transfer problems and the resulting image loss are unacceptable in the printing industry.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,461,823, issued to Held on Jul. 24, 1984, describes multiple transfer of tacky image areas using prolonged tack toners wherein the toners can be prepared by combining a thermoplastic resin, e.g., polystyrene, with a plasticizer or a copolymer of methylmethacrylate (90)/methacrylic acid (10) and triphenyl phosphate plasticizer. A dye or colored pigment can be combined with the resin/plasticizer component. One of the main disadvantages with these toners is that it is difficult to transfer a toned image to an image receptor without getting some back transfer when transferring the next color.
U.S Pat. No. 4,469,625, issued to Held on Sep. 4, 1984, describes prolonged tack toners for the preparation of electric circuits. Examples of organic polymers and plasticizers are described in column 1 and include polystyrene and N-cyclohexyl-p-toluenesulfonamide, poly(methylmethacrylate) (90)/methacrylic acid (10) and triphenyl phosphate. One of the main disadvantages using these toners is that it is difficult to transfer a sufficient amount of toner to an image receptor at a low temperature.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,405,469, issued to Titow on Apr. 14, 1970 describes a particulate ink system for use in a printing process comprising an ink transfer step and a print fixing step. The particulate ink comprises two components: an epoxy resin as the principle resin binder, and a curing agent for the epoxy resin that is dispersed in a low melting point polyamide. During the ink transfer step, the particulate ink is applied to a substrate. During the print fixing step, the two components are fused by heating to a temperature sufficient to melt the polyamide thereby bringing the curing agent into contact with the epoxy resin. Upon contact, the epoxy resin is cured and the image is fixed to the substrate.
U.S. Pat. No. 3,723,114 issued to Hagenbach on Mar. 27, 1973, describes an electrostatographic developing powder comprising a finely-divided colored resin consisting substantially of a solid, freeflowing and uncrosslinked thermosetting resin which is either a polymer of diallyl phthalate, a polymer of diallyl isophthalate or a mixture of such polymers. The thermal cure crosslinks the allyl groups. These electrostatographic toners provide final copies having improved storage properties.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,579,802 issued to Kishi et al..on Apr. 1, 1986, describes a method of fixing a toner image on a supporting member by bringing the supporting member supporting thereon the toner image into pressure contact with a fixing roller, wherein an elasticity improving agent is used to increase the elasticity of the toner. These elasticity improving agents include agents capable of enhancing the elasticity of toner material, polyhydric alcohols, polyvalent amines, and polyvalent carboxylic acids.
Applicant's assignee's copending application, Ser. No. 07/422,361 filed Oct. 16, 1989 and allowed Feb. 15, 1991, describes a non-electroscopic prolonged tack toner comprising an organic, thermoplastic terpolymer, a solid plasticizer and optionally a colorant wherein said toner is suitable for transferring toned images at low temperatures to an image receptor.